CC.2. CarbonNYC The Supreme Court this morning declined to take up a case filed by the American Humanist Association and Birdsville ISD graduate Isaiah Smith. The initial suit was filed in 2015, after Smith was made to feel “violated and uncomfortable” at a local Texas School Board meeting that began with prayer. The SCOTUS decision reaffirmed a ruling from the lower courts, where the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an American Humanist Association appeal earlier this year, which… Read more

Plans Expected to Eliminate Public Funding for Arts, Humanities Cuts are coming and they are drastic. According to reports, there’s an expected reduction of federal spending by $10.5 trillion dollars over the next 10 years in the incoming administration’s proposed budget. Although it’s unclear whether the first draft will include initial cuts to Social Security and Medicare, the Arts will take center stage on the chopping block. Here’s a glimpse of what the Heritage Foundation has in store: The Corporation for Public… Read more

Trump’s not having his rally at the Apollo. Organizers for the beleaguered Trump campaign have been trying in vain to book Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater for a rally. Just, no. Its not going to happen. “They don’t want him there,” says one insider familiar with The Donald’s dealings with the 102-year-old concert hall, which became the Apollo in 1934. Why should they? Trump’s message to Black voters is bleak and depressing. That ain’t the Apollo. According to the candidate, Black lives… Read more

After the murder of five police officers in Dallas, many that follow law enforcement trends were increasingly concerned with the steady departure from the Dallas Police Department, especially given its years of rebuilding relationships in the community. In July, the largest transfer class was sworn into Ft. Worth, prompting many Conservatives to cite the Ferguson Effect (a theory that suggests that given increasing scrutiny of police officers, police would fail to police) as its cause. The theory also claims that anti-police… Read more

Racially charged hate filled graffiti was found in two different locations in Hillsborough, Florida: One wall was hit along Gornto Lake Road in Brandon, with the phrase “kill white people” spray painted. Other tags read “black lives matter” and “BLM.” The problem with this story, as with many of these very specific stories, is that the perpetrator is almost impossible to find or authenticate. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office said they don’t know who did this and it’s not the… Read more

On September 23rd, 2016, I met the little girl most identified with the fall of public school segregation. If you grew up after the seventies, you learned the story of Ruby Bridges. The evening was an emotional one for me. We’re an interracial family, so the topics of integration, racism, and progress are never too distant. Unfortunately, recent news stories keep the topics uncomfortably prevalent. However, this evening served as a reminder of where we are in race relations in America through her… Read more

This week’s episode of The Apprentice (Presidential Edition) sucked. We got to hear a screaming Donald desperately try to fire Hillary Clinton for a job she didn’t yet have, a moderator whose microphone was clearly hacked by the DNC, and not so veiled personal attacks about email and taxes. Oh yeah, they talked about Black people. It was a low bar. Secretary Clinton just had to stay on her feet, connect with the Black community, and mention the Black Church… Read more

In an effort to shield the public from disturbing video that might somehow incite reaction other than compliance, North Carolina’s Gov. Pat McCrory just signed a bill that makes bodycam videos no longer a matter of public record. (I think he’s missing the point). Motivated by the controversial police officer-involved shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota, and the terror in Texas that unfolded after a Black Lives Matter march, Gov. Pat McCrory signed the Body Cam bill into law. In one of the most tone deaf… Read more

Sparing me from the apple revealed to my peers the knowledge of unearned favoritism, further poisoning my stay amongst fellow Christians. My seventh day was far from restful, filled with the anxiety of Monday. I bore the mark of a Catholic. Regardless of my inability to choose my affiliation, it was clear to these children that I was a child of Babylon. Although I grew up in Catholicism, my early childhood was spent in the midst of Seventh Day Adventists,… Read more

So you’re a new atheist, and you’re Black? Welcome! My name is Alix and I too, am a Black atheist. You’re not alone. In fact, we’re growing at a staggering pace, though you’re not necessarily seeing it in the polls yet. The latest surveys show America shedding religion by the millions: In the last five years alone, the unaffiliated have increased from just over 15% to just under 20% of all U.S. adults. Their ranks now include more than 13… Read more